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<title>How Much do I Owe You? by JetGirl1832</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22991011">How Much do I Owe You?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832'>JetGirl1832</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Day by Day [31]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama, F/M, Financial Issues, established relationships - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:21:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22991011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Things had been going a little to right in Eponine's life for far too long.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Combeferre/Éponine Thénardier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Day by Day [31]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603093</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>How Much do I Owe You?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This wasn't how Éponine did things, this wasn't how she lived her life. While certainly enamored by the idea of love and romance she just didn't have time for that sort of thing in her life, but then he'd come along. Luc Combeferre, it certainly was far different than those feelings she'd harbored for Marius many moons ago (and she's glad of that too). He'd originally just offered to help tutor her in biology which she'd happily accepted when she found out it wasn't going to cost her anything (something she couldn't live with so she fixed this problem by paying him in coffee instead). It had taken awhile, hands were being held, dates to the movies, and soft kisses exchanged between them. It was almost too good to be true that this was now her life, that she was lucky enough to be a part of this world that everyone else is... Despite everything she had known until that point.</p><p>She just figured things had been going all a little too smoothly as once again her father reappeared in her life after an extended absence, she had been so horribly shocked by it all she'd been hardly able to fight back the way she once had. Was she going soft? In the face of not needing this skills was she now weak?</p><p>It would certainly explain why she was now in the desperate situation of not having enough money to make her rent and having a landlord who would be less than sympathetic to her plight. What could she possibly do? There were only so many hours in a day and extra shifts she could pick up... It was hopeless, which mean she and 'Zelma would be evicted and that would be just the start of her problems. It was all a precarious balance of making things work, and when that balance was thrown off her whole world was sent to go tumbling down around her.</p><p>"'Ponine?"</p><p>"Hmm?" Eponine doesn't look up from her phone, in her desperation she was trying to sell some old text books and as those waited to be passed to whoever would be interested she'd started looking into other drastic measures that might get her something, however it seemed unlikely that any of those options would pan out either.</p><p>"'Ponine I think you're lost in the void of your phone."</p><p>Eponine then looked up to see Ferre's smiling face and she swallowed nervously, she had not told him about her bit of a financial crisis that she was in and she certainly didn't want to know.</p><p>"Are you okay? You seemed very.... Intent..." Combeferre mused.</p><p>"I'm fine," Eponine replied however her voice squeaked slightly when she did so that she was certain he must know he was lying based on the way that he was furrowing his brows deeply.</p><p>"You don't sound fine," Combeferre replied, "I hope you know that you can tell me anything, right?"</p><p>But can she? Can she really tell him what's going on?</p><p>"Just family stuff," she shrugs hoping he'll leave it at that.</p><p>"I thought Marius said your father was jail-"</p><p>Damn Marius and his big mouth, that's the last time she ever tells him anything important and worth knowing that is for sure.</p><p>She see's the serious look in Ferre's eyes that tells her that he' is not going to someone to let a subject like this go, and then lets out a deep sigh and starts explaining. All the while she watches his face to try and gauge his reaction. What she didn't expect was her chest to get tied up in knots and to be overwhelmed with emotion about the whole mess. Why couldn't she simply just keep it together? Just for a little while. </p><p>"So I've just been trying to keep it together a-and... It's just so much harder now," Eponine tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she tries to explain, "and you're really all I've got and-"</p><p>"'Ponine breath," Combeferre reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "you will get through this and we can fix it-"</p><p>"Can we?" Eponine huffed feeling uncertain, "I don't see a way that we can-"</p><p>"What if I helped you?" </p><p>Eponine shook her head, "No I...I..."</p><p>"Just for this month," Combeferre added, "I don't want you working yourself to bone when you also have classes, you need to have a balance with this sort of thing."</p><p>"You can have balance if you have money," Eponine scoffed, "I'm not that lucky."</p><p>"Alright," Combeferre shrugged, "anyway, if I helped you out now and then moved in with me..."</p><p>"I'm not looking for a handout even if you are my boyfriend," Eponine rolled her eyes.</p><p>"I was gonna say you and 'Zelma can help with the rent and surely that would cost far less than it does at your current place?" Combeferre suggested.</p><p>How did he know how to get her to agree to things like that? And he was right... Split between the three of them, they could actually live in a decent place and didn't need to worry about not having hot water or neighbors who partied till 4am (sure his place was mostly college students too but 'Ponine had been there enough to know they weren't the type.</p><p>"Uhhhhg fine," Eponine sighed and wiped away her tears one last time, "and it's only cause I can help you with the rent, deal?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><a>Prompt: "It's harder now, and you're all I've got."</a>.</p><p>Tomatopudding  and I are doing a joint prompt challenge. One fic/ficlet per day, same fandom, same pairing, same prompt.</p><p>You can find her take on today's prompt <a href="%E2%80%9DURL%E2%80%9D">here</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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